Coral Springs mompreneur: Cloth diapering isn't as daunting as you may think

February 1, 2013|By Michelle Marie Arean

Babies are expensive — diapers, formula and baby food add up quickly, and these are just the basic needs. After losing her job while pregnant with her first child, Coral Springs resident Melissa Huynh knew she wanted to stay home with her daughter once she was born. She started looking for ways to save money, and one day she stumbled upon modern cloth diapers and was instantly hooked on the idea.

“My mother used cloth diapers on her children, so I knew what they were like back then, and the droopy, leaky, rubber pants ordeal definitely didn't appeal to me,” Huynh said.

After her son was born, she put thought back into what she wanted to do and circled back to cloth diapers.

“No longer was I only cloth diapering for the money savings but also because of the negative environmental impact disposables have on our planet,” she said.

Having used cloth diapers for three years, she had tried many brands. Not able to find a good fit, so to speak, at an affordable price, she decided to combine her design experience and passion to create her own diaper line that was functional, affordable and easy to use while also providing a great fit. So finally, in 2012, Lalabye Baby was born.

“I started designing my diaper and experimenting fits on different size babies,” she said. “After dealing with several manufacturers and getting the diaper just right, I decided I had a product worth mass producing.”

Huynh designs the diapers in the United States and has them manufactured overseas.

Lalabye Baby diapers are made of waterproof polyurethane laminate and suede cloth, which keeps moisture away from the baby and resists staining. The inserts are made of four-layer bamboo, which is very absorbent, naturally antibacterial and doesn’t hold odors.

Huynh said cloth diapers are comfortable, economical, healthy and simple.

“Cloth is more breathable and soft. Have you noticed what disposable diaper commercials advertise? ‘Cloth-like’ outer layers. They know that cloth is most comfortable, too,” Huynh said.